Rolf-Ernst Breuer

Rolf-Ernst Breuer (3 November 1937 – 22 May 2024) was a German businessman and lawyer. He spent most of his career at Deutsche Bank, of which he was CEO from 1997 to 2002 and president of the supervisory board from 2002 to 2006. During his leadership, Deutsche Bank acquired Bankers Trust, expanded its investment-banking operations in the United States and listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Breuer also chaired the supervisory board of Deutche Börse and held leadership positions in German financial, cultural, and educational organizations, primarily at the Goethe University Frankfurt.

Early life and education Born in Bonn on 3 November 1937, he became an apprentice at the Mainz branch of Süddeutsche Bank, a successor institution of Deutsche Bank after World War II. In 2001, the bank's stocks were introduced at the New York Stock Exchange.

Breuer was interested in a consolidation of Germany as a financial marketplace, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Finanzplatz". He was president of the supervisory board of the Deutsche Börse, chairman of the council of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, initiator and board member of the Aktionskreis Finanzplatz, and president of the Bundesverband deutscher Banken.